Goodbye 2017

2017 has been a crazy roller coaster. I've gone through probably every single emotion that one person can experience. I found love, I lost a family member, I traveled more than any other year, I've had health issues, and I've been able to run this blog all in one whole year. Overall, I would say this year has been tough but there were some incredible things that happened to me to make it all worthwhile. I think God challenges you, not because you can't conquer the challenges, but because He knows you can get through them. I am so thankful for everything that has happened this year and I wanted to reflect back on my 2017 blog post, where I listed a few things I wanted to accomplish in 2018.

I promise to love myself. I think that I've loved myself a lot this year. I have been at my lowest and have gotten back up on my own two feet and shown myself how strong I can be. I love myself for being so strong in tough times.

I promise to take every opportunity. I have had many opportunities come my way and I have embraced each and every one of them. One was the chance to possibly go to California for my job and I wasn't sure if I would take it, but I'm absolutely glad that I did.

I promise to go outside my comfort zone. I think this one I can say that I've successfully done. I actually ended up meeting the sweetest man ever because I chose to go outside my comfort zone. I really hate first dates because they can be so awkward, especially when you have never met the person in real life before, but the best decision I've made in 2017 was going on a date with him. It was the best first date of my life and hopefully my last first date. I am so happy that I chose to meet him because he truly has made my life amazing. He is the biggest blessing I got in 2017.

I promise to learn and grow. I believe that I did learn and grow, but not school-wise, but more life-wise. I've learned who is really in my life for good intentions and who isn't. I believe I am a life-long learner so there will always be something to learn in the future, so I don't think I'm done just yet. I feel that I've grown as more of an adult and as a person. I try to be helpful and care for others whenever I can and I hope to continue that because when you are no longer here, people will remember you for how you cared about others, not how many degrees you were able to achieve.

I promise to forgive. I have had many people wrong me but this year, I have forgiven them. I've learned that you can't always hold a grudge (like I love doing) because people are people and they will do what is best for them, even if it means screwing me over. I have accepted that and I have forgiven them for it. I've also forgiven people that don't deserve to be forgiven but I can say that my heart is at peace.

So thank you, 2017. I enjoyed the ride but I am ready to have an even better 2018. I know I had a good feeling about you and I was right. Thanks for all the lessons and all the blessings.

Bosanski Lokumi (Bosnian dessert!)

Well, my Bosnian roots certainly came out with this recipe. These are called Bosnian Lokumi and they are delish. They are very similar to the American cookies called 'Melting Moments'. I know there are a various different number of recipes, but I've decided to share mine. If you end up making them, please share how they turned out!! They came out so great that I made it two nights in one week!! They will absolutely melt in your mouth! :)

Ingredients:
1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature (2 sticks)
1 cup of flour
1 cup of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of confectioners (powdered) sugar

Optional:
Walnuts - one half cup finely chopped


Directions:

1. In a medium sized glass bowl, mix your flour, cornstarch, and salt together and set aside.

2. Using your electric mixer (or hand mixer and bowl), add in butter and sugar. Beat until it is fluffy. I give it about one to two minutes.

3. Add in vanilla into butter and sugar mixture

4. Add in the dry ingredients (flour mixture) until it is all incorporated. If you wanted to add finely chopped walnuts, you can add them now.

5. Once you have a nice dough, shape it into the glass bowl and cover in the fridge for about 1 hour.

6. Once it has been one hour, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Don't worry, the cookies will be really easy to just slide off

7. Take your cookies and mold them how you want with your hands. I made them into round shaped balls and then used a fork to press down. In the Bosnian fashion, they make a long row and then cut them into pieces. Whatever your preference is, it will due. I recommend making them small because if it's too big, it will take longer to cook.

8. Line all your cookies on the baking sheet. This will make about 2 to 3 dozen cookies, so you will have to either wait for one to be done or have another baking sheet ready. Pop them into the oven for about 13 to 15 minutes. 

9. Take the cookies out to cool. Once they are cooled, sprinkle them with more confectioners sugar on top. (Otherwise the sugar will just melt)

10. Enjoy! :)

Watch out for me, I'm about to glow!

You thought this post was about metaphorically glowing in life? Well, you're wrong. I mean, I could do a post on it, but we will save that for some other time. Today, we're talking about makeup! I love using highlighters and making myself glow as much as I can, but I wanted to share one little bottle that I use that really enhances my glow and helps me achieve that. It's called Cover FX Customer Enhancer Drops in the color Moonlight.

This little guy helps a LOT if you are wanting a glowing or dewy look. I, personally, am into matte's 24/7, but I mixed a little bit of this into my foundation one day and I was glowing. I looked really dewy but not oily. It was absolutely amazing. What I first started to do with it, was put it on top of all my makeup when I was finished and highlight it on my cheekbones. I would then blend it out with a damp beauty blender and pat down with a highlighter, usually the Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop highlighter. I would then blend it out with a beauty blender again to make sure it has set in. You can still do this method and I can assure you, your cheekbones will be poppin.

What I have started doing more recently was mixing it with foundation on the back of my hand and then putting the mixture on my face. I have found that this really brings out the dewy look. I only do this sometimes, as this little guy is $46 and it is quite a small bottle. It probably is a little bigger than my palm, so I try to use as little as possible. Also, a little bit goes a long way. If you overdo any of the drops, your face will end up being sparkly and not dewy. Trust me, I've done it.

I recommend this product and would purchase it again if I could. I chose Moonstone, just because it seemed to be the most universal color, but you can go through and pick through 10 different colors to see which one will look best on you. If you are wanting to use it, I caution you to use very little at first and then you can see how it looks and add more to your liking. This product is very well put together and is of really great quality, so that's why the price is so high. To be honest, this is absolutely unnecessary if you already use a really great highlighter, but if you are wanting to get an even more glow, this is the product I would recommend for you.

Office Essentials

I apologize for not being able to blog but I’ve had so much going on! I really do miss blogging and I have told myself to commit to it at least 2-3 times per week. I have many ideas coming up and I hope to share them very soon!

I wanted to share what my office essentials were. I know many people work in office settings or, if you’re like me, and you didn’t until recently and you were super excited and wanted to buy everything at once! I have been working at my current office job since February of 2015 and I have bought everything from decorations for different seasons to binders and notebooks and so much stuff. I have cut down quite a lot but I thought I would share what the basics I find to be necessary.

                        

Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. These are probably two of the most important things you will need in the office. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to move desks and the person before me was a total slob. I am neat freak and when I see crumbs, dust, and junk all over your place of work, it grosses me out. I have used the disinfecting wipes several times when moving desks, as well as my own desk. Sometimes I get food on my desk (I use a plate, don’t worry, things happen and spill) and I use the wipes to clean it up. I will sometimes just have a dusty desk from the vents above and the wipes come in really handy to clean it up. I use my hand sanitizer every day before eating my lunch and snacks, even after washing my hands. If I could only have 2 things on my desk, it would be those two.

Sticky notes. You can never go wrong with sticky notes. I think the first thing we all think to buy is sticky notes, to be honest. When I first started, I swear that I used 2 to 3 packs and stick it wherever I had room.. to my monitor, to my desk, to my shelves and cabinets. As I started to get more familiar with my job, I started tossing them. I now probably have about 4 sticky notes and that’s just for new information that I know I will forget. I found that using my sticky notes and writing stuff now, with being able to refer to it later, really helped me gain knowledge and confidence in my job.

                 

Pens/Pencils/Highlighters. Although I use a lot of things on my computer and information is all stored on there, I sometimes need to write down information so I can refer to it later. The pens really help in those situations. I don’t really need all of them but sometimes on my calendar, I like to write things out in different colors so that’s why I keep them all there. You won’t need as many as I have but I love having a variety to chose from.

Water. I was going to write water bottle, however, mine is more of water cup..holder..thing. (Edit: It's called a Tumblr!) I love mine because I get to drink from a straw. I can sometimes be clumsy and tip over things so if this were to ever tip over, it would take a long time for all of the water to spill out. I got this guy from Walmart and it was around $5. I loved it so much that I bought a second one for myself to have at home in a pink color. You can get any container that you want but having water is really important because if you’re not getting at least half your body weight, in ounces, you’re considered dehydrated. For example, if you weigh 120, you would need to drink at least 60 oz of water per day, minimum.

Tissues. I keep tissues literally glued to me. Ok, not literally, but my nose is always having issues whether it’s runny or stuffy, I have to have tissues with me. Sometimes, I use the tissues for non-nose related things like wiping off food I spill or if my makeup is runny, I can use the tissue to touch it up. This is not one I personally bought, but rather it was given to me by the company I work for. These are actually quite rough, not soft as it says, so I recommend getting soothing tissues for when you need it.

A Mirror. I just love looking at myself. Just kidding!! I love having a mirror at my desk because sometimes I have food in my teeth, or lipstick, or my makeup is smudging, or whatever the case may be, I need a mirror to be able to take care of that stuff right away. I let someone borrow mine for a couple hours and my desk looked naked. I think having a mirror is a great thing to keep because it can be very useful to have at your desk instead of getting up and going to the bathroom. The mirror I have was gifted to me but you can find them anywhere.

Charging port. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten bored at played on my phone or looked at memes throughout the day. (sorry!) With all that fun, my phone’s battery has completely drained. I remember on my old phone, I had to dim the brightness to the lowest setting so I could use my phone by the time I left for the day. I quickly learned how important it is to have your phone charger and a charging port at work. Now, I can leave my phone charging and look at memes and still go home with 100% battery life. That is called being a winner. Lol!!

Folder holder. I didn’t know what to call this one but this thing literally holds my folders. I guess you can call it a magazine holder but I use it to keep all my important documents and fun coloring sheets. I bought the neon colored folders at Walmart, I believe, and the folder holder was from Gordmans. Both I got when they were on sale so it was really cheap, I would say less than $10 for both. I use to have a really big 3-ring binder with all my important documents but as I progressed within my job, I learned that all of that paperwork was not needed so I shredded/recycled it and made them into small folders. Now, I have folders for new trainings I get and anything I know that I am going to forget.

I also wanted to mention that I use lotion because my hands get really dry in this Colorado weather. It’s not really a necessity but it’s nice to have when your hands are dry. I also have air freshener crystal beads that I keep by my desk. I like it because the fragrance is not overpowering but smells just nice enough that I smell fresh linen at my desk! The last thing I wanted to mention is push pins. I know that not everybody has a desk that you can hang stuff up with push pins, but they are great to have when you need important documents hung up. I got my push pins from Target. 

DIY Makeup Brush Holder!

As I started collecting makeup, my brushes were stored in a small bin that I kept on top of my makeup table. I soon realized that I wanted them to look nicer and instead of having them just lay in a bin and get dusty, and possibly a higher risk of infection, I made my own makeup brush holders. Most of the supplies are right from the dollar store and cost little to nothing. 

You will need:

1 candle holder. I think this one would be perfect. You can also use this one that is more open or even a square one. Just keep in mind how long your brushes are and how long the container is. I know the square one is quite short in height so if you have tall brushes, I wouldn't recommend getting that one.

1 bag of filler. You can use this Ashland Diamond Filler from Michael’s or the Colorful Mini Decorative Accent Pebbles from the Dollar Tree. You can fill your brush holder with anything you want or not fill it at all. It's up to you.

Couple spools of ribbon in the color of your choosing. I chose white and pink but you can chose whatever colors work best for you.

A hot glue gun

Decorations such as Ashland™ Diamond Acrylic Fillers. I cut up a bracelet and put it as a bead in the middle

Optional: Candle stick holder to give height to your brushes. I did this for one of mine, that is square shaped, and I ended up using it as my q-tip holder, instead of a brush holder.

What to do:

1. Clean and dry your candle holder out thoroughly because you never know who’s used it last.
2. Take your ribbon and measure it once and glue it around the middle of your candle holder.
3. (Optional) Measure about 10 inches (give or take) of a different colored ribbon and make a bow. Glue your bow to the ribbon already on the candle holder.
4. Glue your decorations to your ribbon. I chose 1 diamond bead in the middle. You can make yours all around or just in the center, how I did.
5. (Optional) Glue your candle stick holder to the bottom. If you plan on having many brushes in one, I don’t recommend putting is underneath but it’s up to you.
6. Put your filler in your candle holder and fill your brushes!

Black Friday Haul!

If you know me, you know I love when there are good deals. Don't get me wrong, I know when a deal is not good and Black Friday deals are not the best. Yes, there are deals that are good, but it's definitely not the time to start splurging all your money because to be honest, there are other times of the year where sales are actually much better. For example, winter coats are on sale during the beginning of summer; Companies are trying to get rid of their old seasoned clothes and making room for the new season ones, so the old clothes go on sale. I assure you, if you're in need of a winter jacket, Black Friday is not the time to get one. It is, however, time to browse around and see what is on sale. Many department stores are putting discounts on certain items and some of them are worth having.

For example, the navy Lace-Up Tunic Sweater I mentioned in my sweater post, I initially paid $17.99 for it, yet I saw it on sale for $9.99 for Black Friday. I ended up purchasing another one in another color, called Dark Gray Heather.

I also bought Sonoma Goods for Life™ Women's Knit Shaft Boot Slippers in the color Gray. These are meant to be used as slippers but I think I will wear them to the office because they are just so cute (& my job is pretty laid back with what we wear). I would say these look like the Ugg boots, just a different company. I wanted to get a pair ever since I saw my coworker wear hers with her gray leggings. I think they would match up perfectly. I also sprayed them with Scotchgard Suede & Nubuck Protector that I had used with my Ugg boots back in 2015 so they don't get soaked if it rains. I ended up paying $9.99 for these.

I was also able to get my boyfriend some really cute clothes. I love when he wears dark (black) and light (white) colors. I think I've bought him enough dark colors that I chose to get one of each this time. I also bought him a Calvin Klein cologne set, which all together, with my coupons and discounts ended up being under $50 (without discounts, it would have been over $150). P.S. He loves that I have my coupons & discounts and thinks I'm cute for saving money... I love that guy!

JcPenney also ended up being on the list and I was able to find more deals there. Well, my mom was. I didn't really shop much and it's only because I didn't really find a lot of clothes that stuck out to me. There were more deals at JCP than at Kohls and everywhere you turn, there was some discount to some clothes that was applied. I found 2 nice blouses and a sweater for myself. The blouses will look good for work or some kind of job interview if I were to stumble upon one. Yes, they are sleeveless, however, paired with a nice blazer, that won't even be noticeable. Oh also, we were each able to get an in-store coupon for $10 off of a $10 purchase.

I love this green blouse I found because the shade of green really caught my eye. The patterns on the sleeves and on the shirt really stood out to me. It is more of an emerald color and for some reason, I told myself I had to get it. I also wanted to get this Worthington Volume Sleeve Shirt, but I ended up not. If I could go back in time, I would have gotten it. I went back and forth because I love the color but I wasn't so sure about the thickness and texture of the shirt, so I ultimately decided not to get it. I think if I didn't have as many shirts as I do, I would have bought it. There are currently 14 reviews on their website with a full 5 star rating, so I say it's worth getting. The one I chose to get, pictured below, is the Worthington Pleated Velvet Top in the color Bold Emerald. Like I said, the patterns and color stood out to me the most. I think this would be a great shirt to wear to an interview, over the summer, or even during a vacation.

I also got this light pink sleeveless blouse. I think it's absolutely adorable and professional. If I had to go to an interview, I would chose this one with a black blazer. They didn't have my size, medium, so I had to go up a size, large, and I think it still looks cute. I am going to be honest and say that it is quite bigger on me, but I still chose to get it because I liked it so much. It was on sale for about $11 so I chose to buy it. If you would like to see it, it's the Worthington Woven Tank Top in the color Blush. It's really thin material, despite the name of it. There is a very thin, almost sparkly layer, a more thicker liner shirt, and then the same sparkly thin layer on top. I would absolutely also wear this in the summer time, as it is quite thin material.

Finally, I got the St. John's Bay Long Sleeve Crew Neck Pullover Sweater. I saw it because it was on sale for only $9!! There were many colors to chose from but I wanted the Ivory Lurex one. It does have sparkles in it, but I'm totally okay with that. They have 19 colors to chose from and are currently on sale for $9. I would pair this with some leggings and cute boots. I recently went on a date with my boyfriend downtown and paired this with leggings and the boots mentioned above (The picture is below). I know they are slippers, however, I am using them as outdoor shoes because they're really comfy. I think they would be great to wear when it's a little bit chilly, but not wet. Even though I sprayed them, I won't be wearing them when it's wet so they can last longer.

I also purchased a couple matte lipsticks from KylieCosmetics.com, but I will do a separate post when those get shipped in. :)

Hope your Black Friday was awesome!!! :)

November

AH!! It's been a few weeks since I last posted and I do want to apologize. I've been busy with life that I haven't had time to post. I just wanted to have a heart to heart post about how thankful I am for everybody in my life. If a year ago, you told me I would be where I am, I would not believe you. I have found the love of my life (finally!) and am very thankful for him. He has been my rock and I knew from when I met him that he is my soulmate. I know it's really cliche and people have all these cheesy sayings but I can assure you that all of them, every single one, is 100% true. When you find the right person, you will just know. It's like my soul finally found the soul I've been searching for. I feel like I've known him my entire life. He understands me in a way that no other person has and would do anything for me. I know that if I'm going through something, I can talk to him about it. I know that whenever I see him, I will be showered with lots of love. Relationships are never easy but when you find that person that you know you're meant to be together, your relationship is worth more than anything. I love him with every bit in my heart and I can't wait for our future together.

I also am very thankful for my family. They are always constantly supportive of me and whatever decisions I make. If I want to go on a sail boat to Iceland, they will strap on their life jackets and go with me (metaphorically speaking).

I am thankful for my health. This year has been a lot of ups and downs but I am thankful to finally overcome it all and be healthy. I am able to wake up every day and live another day and for that, I am truly thankful and blessed.

I am thankful for people in my life that are able to help me and just be there for me. Whether it's advice about my job or life in general, there are those people that will guide me and help me whenever I may need it. I believe that everything happens for a reason and there are certain people that are put in my life. I am thankful for all the friendships and lessons that I have been given.

I am also thankful for all my readers! I have been doing this blog for almost a year now and my heart is ecstatic that I did!! I find that this is a great space for me to express my thoughts and my interests and I'm just happy people are willing to read them. Thank you.

I've also shared my green bean casserole down below. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cans of 14.5 oz cut green beans
1 can of 10.5 of cream of chicken soup
2/3 cups of whole milk
1 container of 6 oz French's french fried onions
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drain your green beans and put them in a casserole dish.
3. Add in your cream of chicken soup and 2/3 cups of whole milk.
4. Continue to mix in onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
5. Add in half of the french fried onions.
6. Put it in the oven for 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
7. After the 30 minutes has passed, sprinkle the rest of the french fried onions on top and put it back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
8. Enjoy :)

This was my plate this year. I ate the whole thing and lost a pound...
not sure how that happened but I'll take it! :)

Sweater Weather!

The days are starting to get colder and all the leaves on the trees have pretty much fallen off. In Colorado, the weather is odd because one day we will get snow along with cold weather and the next day, it's 80 degrees and all the snow has melted. It's very beautiful on the warm days because it's the essence of a perfect fall day. When it's cold, I like to bundle up and wear my favorite sweaters. I decided to do a post on a few sweaters that I've recently purchased, so for those cold days, I have something cute to wear. Click on the pictures to be directed to the sites I bought them from. Not all sweaters are available, so some may not have links.... Enjoy! :)

This first sweater I recently bought from Rue21 is called the Laced Sleeve Rib Knit Sweater. I am absolutely in LOVE and had to get it because of the details on the sleeves. I am a sucker for bows and ribbons and when I saw this, I had to immediately put it in my basket. The only available color is black and it's a pretty thick sweater. The sides of the arms are laced in ribbon in a cute pattern and meet up at the bottom to form a bow. The bow does hang beyond my hands but in a way, it hugs it and just looks adorable. The sleeves are longer than the actual sweater. I ended up going a size up for this and it ended up fitting me perfectly!The only thing that was a downside is that I ended up wearing this sweater for the first time to Olive Garden with my boyfriend, and my sleeves kept getting dipped in the Chicken Alfredo sauce so I had to pull up my sleeves while I ate.

This gray sweater is also from Rue21, however unfortunately, it's no longer available. I bought it over the summer when it was on sale and I'm glad I did because I absolutely love this sweater. I went a size up on this one as well, just because I love my sweaters to be big on me. The side detail is what drew me in because it has the cross stitching that is really in this year. This sweater is big enough that I consider it a tunic sweater because it does go down fairly low when I wear it. It's super warm and a medium size thickness.

I ended up getting this Ivory Lace Up Grommet Sweater from Rue21 as well. (sorry, they had a sale!!) This is available in the color Ivory or the color Pink. I chose to go with Ivory. This sweater is a thick, chunky sweater. The details on the arms really drew my eye. It has four rings with string going through it. I chose this picture so you can see the detail at the end. I love the detail at the top, also, because it matches the arms but doesn't over-do it. The sleeves look shorter here, but I assure you that they are not. They fit me perfectly. This sweater was very warm to swear at the office. I had a jacket over it, since it was snowing that day, but quickly took it off and wore just this. It kept me warm and stylish throughout the whole day. They also have a dress version of this sweater and I think it may be my next purchase!

This last Rue21 purchase is one that I've talked about in a previous post. I decided to finally purchase it and I love it. It's unfortunately unavailable on the Rue21 website. :( I don't know how I would feel about this whole 'cold shoulder' on sweaters thing, but I guess you can say I'm still getting use to it. I'm someone who's always cold. Wearing this, I'm not gonna lie, it made me cold at the beginning of the day so I had to wear a light sweater over it. As the day went on, I began feeling warmer so I took my sweater off and it was the perfect temperature to wear it. I think when we have those warm days in November, this would be perfect to wear; Maybe around 60 degrees or so. The ruffles across the chest area and below shoulders is my favorite part because it brings detail to the sweater, but not too much that it's overpowering it. The color is a blush pink so it's not drawing too much attention and I love that.

This sweater (SO® Lace-Up Tunic Sweater) is from Kohl's. I purposefully scrunched up the ends to show you the details. This sweater I ended up buying in store because I had Kohl's cash. It's a very light-weight sweater and to be honest, it's very see-though. I bought the sweater in the color 'Blue Crest' and I noticed when I wore a white tank top underneath, that you could see the entire tank top, so I ended up switching it to a black tank top and it was not noticeable at all. It's very cozy but not as thick as other sweaters. Since I was in store, I was able to see the sweater and it's fairly large. I usually wear a size medium so I bought it in medium and I thought it fit perfectly. If you like your sweaters to be tighter, I suggest getting a size down. It is a tunic sweater, so it will be longer than regular sized sweaters, which I prefer because I usually like to wear leggings with my sweaters. The details on the side show that it's a laced. Unlike the gray one, this one is laced on both sides, however, there are no rings, it's laced just with string. I think it's absolutely soft and warm and can't wait to wear it again!

This final one is my most recent purchase. The picture makes the sweater look odd, but trust me, it's super cute. I found it at Marshall's for $16.99!! They only had size small left in this color so I decided to get it. (It was either this or black and I have too many black sweaters as it is! lol) The details on the sleeves is what really drew me to it. it's three little half-pearl-like studs that are sown into the sides of the sleeves. This goes all the way from the top to the bottom of each side. The sweater is fairly thick so I would wear it if it's cold outside. This is not a tunic sweater, so it will be regular sized. I'm a total grandma and love wearing sweaters but I also want to be fancy so this sweater is what represents me. lol. I love that it's purple because I don't have many purple clothes so I decided to step outside my comfort box for this one.

Do you know of any cute sweaters and where we can find the best deals!?!?

Crock-pot Loaded Potato Soup

I recently have been really into crock-pot cooking. I don't know if it's because it's fall or because I live in Colorado, but lately I've been obsessed. I have been making this potato soup recipe and I've decided to share with you all!

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes - peeled and diced into small/medium squares

1 small can of cream of chicken soup

1 box (32 oz) of chicken broth

1 block of cream cheese

1 cup of shredded cheese

bits of turkey bacon - I cooked mine and then tore it into little pieces

salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

1 onion - shredded (I like to shred mine, you can dice or chop it up however you want)

1 carrot - shredded (you can choose to do what you want as well)

1 stalk of celery - shredded (same as above)

You don't have to add in the turkey bacon or the vegetables but I find that it tastes best with all of them. You can add in any additional vegetables to your choosing. 

Directions:

1. Add in all your ingredients into the crock-pot.

2. Cook on high for about 3-4 hours or low 5-6 hours. Keep an eye on it because I made one batch and it came out like mashed potatoes (LOL!) and another batch where it needed more time to cook.

3. I sometimes top it off with a handful of shredded cheese just cause I love cheese.

4. Enjoy :)

Fall Essentials!

Hello Fall! This is my second favorite season - next to summer, of course. It's time for leggings, light sweaters, and cute boots. This weather is perfect because it's still a little warm but with a slight, cool breeze and yet not cold enough for snow and slush. It's also somewhat rainy, which I absolutely love. I live in Colorado so we are able to experience all four seasons. Fun fact: I didn't ever really think about how the leaves change until the other day when I took a walk outside and saw the leaves changing at the tips to a brown color. I thought it was really cool. Anyway, as I did for summer, I have decided to do a fall essentials post with the things that I believe are great to have during this cool down season!

Colorado :)

1. Leggings. Duh. These will literally become your bffs if you don't already own leggings. They keep me so warm and they're really stretchy so I don't have to be stiff in jeans all day. The ones I usually get are from Victoria's Secret but it seems like they have started to discontinue them so I haven't bought any new ones recently. I have heard that Target has really great leggings as well, and they are affordable of course. If you're looking for really great ones, LuLuLemon has ones that are wonderful quality but are on the pricey side. I, personally, don't own any but I've heard nothing but fantastic reviews. Wherever you purchase your leggings, it does not matter, as long as you do own a pair. If you don't feel comfortable walking around in public with them on, you can always use them to lounge because it literally feels like you're not wearing anything. They're awesome!!

2. Sweaters. Sweaters are my absolute favorite piece of clothing ever. I don't know why but they're just something that makes me so happy. The types of sweaters that are in now are tunic sweaters, which basically means long ones. I like to pair these with leggings for the perfect comfortable fall day! I personally love this one from Rue21 because it's simple but also has a design and has the 'cold shoulder' look, with the cut out shoulders. They also have this one but I only got drawn to it because it's gray and I'm obsessed with wearing gray. I was also looking around Kohl's and they have some great tunic sweaters as well. This one in particular drew my eye because right now, the sweaters with the lace up on the side is what most people have been wearing so I recommend purchasing at least one because they are adorable!! 

3. Heated Blanket. My heated blanket is probably he best purchase I have ever made and do not regret one bit. I first got one from Big Lots, just to test it out and see how they are. I ended up LOVING it and using it almost every single day. In Colorado, it snows during the fall sometimes so it's nice to be able to get warm even if it's cold outside. That blanket ended up breaking so I ended up buying a new one from Kohl's and I absolutely love it. I only turn it on when I'm about to go to sleep and usually in the middle of the night, I wake up and turn it off, although it does have an automatic setting where it will turn off after 8 hours I believe. The dial has up to 10 settings so you can chose how warm you want your blanket to be. I keep mine high but end up turning it off after a couple hours. It's up to you how you want to use yours. I don't use it every night, just when I think I'm cold and so far, I love it.

4. Halloween Movies!!! You know it's October so you gotta pull out the Halloweentown and Hocus Pocus. Those are my absolute favorite movies to watch during this time of the year. No matter how old I get, I still love them. If you're more into the scary side, American Horror Story comes out with a new season every year around October and this seasons has been really great. My favorite season would be season 1, the haunted house. If you're not into bloody and scary, then I don't recommend watching. One other personal favorite of mine, that I love more than any Halloween movie, is Casper Meets Wendy. This one is a few years old but it's my absolute favorite and if I had a list of my favorite movies, this would be #1. Someone actually uploaded the full movie to YouTube, so you can watch it here, or click the picture below! :)

5. Jaclyn Hill Palette. This palette has been my go-to. It literally has every color that you could possibly need. I did a review on it a couple months back and I still am obsessed with it. I think the colors I've been using most is the dark reds and rich browns. I think those colors would be perfect for fall.

6. Fall Decor. My favorite American Holiday is Halloween but I also love the fall time. I love decorating my office at work with fall stuff. My favorite place to get things is at Michaels. They almost always have some sort of sale going on. The website doesn't show much of a sale but if you walk into any of the stores, you will see what I'm talking about. I went to one about 2 weeks ago and almost everything was like 60% off. The other place that has great things is the Dollar Tree. Just for $1 you can get fall and Halloween decor and some of them are actually really cute. I recommend browsing around your local Dollar Tree, you never know what you might find!

Do you have any other great Fall tips?!

Happy fall y'all !!

Contour, contour, contour.

When I was in middle school, the only makeup girls would wear was eyeliner.. and LOTS of it. I had 1 eyeliner and used it on my waterline and that's it. As I grew older, I started experimenting with more and more makeup and now I have about 10 drawers full of makeup along with a counter top, as well. I remember when I first started using makeup, I use to get bronzer and put it all over my face so that way I would have more of a tanned look. I'm about 99.9% sure that every other girl did the same thing. Then, I discovered the beauty of YouTube, where a beauty community was slowly starting to grow. Many years later, I have become in love with makeup and want to learn and use new things every day. One of the things I found important was contouring. Contouring is basically going in depth where the shadows of your face are. If you do it correctly, it can make your face look skinnier and your makeup more professional. Kim Kardashian is well known for her use of contouring. Here is an example of how it would look before and after you contour:

Now, I'm not saying you're gonna look 20lbs lighter, but it does add structure to your face and make your face pop. I mostly use mine right underneath my cheeks so my cheek bones can look sharper. I wanted to share the contour kit that I use because I'm absolutely in LOVE with it.

I have been reading reviews on the KAT VON D Shade + Light Face Contour Palette for months and watched several YouTube videos that I decided that I should just get it. OH MY GOODNESS. I am so glad that I did!!! This is probably the best contour palette that I've ever had. The colors and so beautiful and cool toned. Sometimes I get colors that are warm toned and look orange on me but this one does not have the slightest hint of orange in it. The top three shades are used for highlighting the peaks or highest points of your face. I use the middle one - Lyric - and sometimes I will use the farthest one to the left - Lucid - because my skin is so light. To be honest, I have been really lazy and usually don't use the highlighting parts of this pallet because if I do concealer, I will just use my Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder. But again, that's once in a blue moon cause I get lazy with concealer. (Maybe I will do a later post on my highlighting routine) As far as the contour/bronzing colors at the bottom, I always start with the lightest one - Sombre - and use a small definer brush to sculpt in the lines in my face and then blend it through. I then go in with the middle color - Shadowplay - and really make the color deepen. I will sometimes even go in with the last color - Subconscious - and make it even darker but that's when I want a heavy makeup look, otherwise it's not used often. I've already hit pan on Sombre and Shadowplay and am close to it on Subconsious. I've had this palette for about 2 years now and I still have enough color left to continue using it. I think it's a wonderful contour palette and I highly recommend it. The palette will last you a long time and the colors can blend so nicely on your face so you don't have to sit there for 10 years blending. A little goes a long way so if you pick up just a little bit, you will have powder on your face immediately. The colors are pretty creamy and very pigmented. I think Kat Von D did a great job with this palette and she actually revamped these so the individual colors can be removed and replaced, instead of buying the entire palette.

I also wanted to mention that lately, these palettes have been spotted at Marshalls and TJ Maxx for only $19.99!!! (Compared to $49) So if you're wanting this and don't want to spend all that money, hit up your local Marshalls or TJ Maxx to see if they have it. Since I've hit pan on 2 colors I decided to browse around and actually found only 1 at TJ Maxx and bought it on the spot. I've heard that other ladies have seen like 10 of them at their stores so don't be discouraged if you don't find it, check every week and maybe you just might!! Keep in mind, these are not the replaceable colors so if you hit pan, unfortunately you won't be able to remove the colors individually. I think it's still worth it though. :)